Friday
14.03.2025 18.30
Madetoja Hall
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Anna-Maria Helsing conductor
Heta Sammalisto soprano
Anton Mejias piano
Kari Ikonen piano
Jukka Perko saxophone
Oulu Sinfonia
Leevi Madetoja: Kullervo, Op.15
Jean Sibelius:
Men min fågel märks dock icke, Op. 36 nro 2
Svarta rosor, Op. 36 nro 1
Sippan, Op. 88 nro 4
Törnet, Op. 88 nro 5
Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte, Op. 37 nro 5
Var det en dröm, Op. 37 nro 4
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Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major
Kari Ikonen: Guezo
Anna-Mari Kähärä: Credo
Welcome to the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Oulu Music Festival!
The Oulu Music Festival has been held since 1991, following in the footsteps of the Madetoja Week event from the 1980s. For 35 years, the festival has fostered deep emotions, musical collaboration, and a rich musical heritage. This evening’s program presents an impressive concert combining classical music, which has been at the heart of the festival since its early days, with the rhythm music that was later introduced.
The concert opens with Kullervo, a symphonic poem by Leevi Madetoja, one of Finland’s most notable Romantic composers, after which pianist Anton Mejias will then perform as a soloist in Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major.
After we’ll hear some of Jean Sibelius’s most beloved songs, arranged by the late Jaakko Kuusisto, a former artistic director of the Oulu Music Festival. The piece Guezo, composed by current artistic director and pianist Kari Ikonen, brings West African rhythms to the evening and guides us toward the future. The final pieces of the evening will feature Ikonen alongside Jukka Perko, saxophonist and another former artistic director of the festival.
The evening is anchored by the wonderful Oulu Sinfonia, a longstanding partner of the Oulu Music Festival, with collaboration dating back to the days of Madetoja Week.
The festivities begin at 5:45 PM in Restaurant Preludi, with interviews of both current and former artistic directors, hosted by Kimmo Pihlajamaa and Maria Mannermaa. Admission to this pre-concert event is free.
The concert is part of Oulu Music Festival. The whole programme can be seen at omj.fi.
***
Duration about 2 h (incl. intermission)
Tickets 40 € Regular / 30 € Pensioner / 20 € Discount groups
Available through Ticketmaster Finland nationwide. Prices include handling fees. Tickets without handling fees are available from the Valve ticket office. A service fee of €3 per order will be charged for purchases from the Ticketmaster ticket shop, or €1.50 per order when purchasing from the Ticketmaster online store. The ticket price includes the cloakroom fee.
A limited number of Kaikukortti-tickets are available.
